You don’t expect to find a Rodgers & Hammerstein album rubbing shoulders with releases by Mumford & Sons, Lana Del Rey and The Script, but such is the phenomenal success of conductor John Wilson and his orchestra that their new album shot into the top 20 of the British pop charts earlier this month. John Wilson is Principal Guest Conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and as part of the orchestra’s Christmas season at the National Concert Hall Irish audiences have the chance to enjoy a celebration of both Rodgers & Hammerstein and Rodgers & Hart (11 December). Joining the RTÉ CO will be singers who – like Wilson – catch every nuance of this style: Kim Criswell, Julian Ovenden, Rodney Earl Clarke and Annalene Beechey.

‘Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel…’ – it’s hard to imagine a classier way to see out the year and ring in 2013 than in the company of legendary film composer Michel Legrand and brilliant jazz singer Claire Martin in their New Year’s Eve Gala with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra (31 December).

Following the incredible success of The Two Towers last weekend, the RTÉ CO presents another of its film screenings with live orchestra. This strand, which is introducing a whole new audience to live orchestral music, continues with At the Movies, a selection of scenes from Oscar-winnersGone with the Wind, Citizen Kane and more (1 December).

Traditional sell-outs get a seasonal twist in Christmas editions of Mooney Tunes (18 December) and Sunday Miscellany Live (20 December), and prize-winning choirs join the RTÉ CO for a choral treat in RTÉ lyric fm Choirs for Christmas (4 December).

Jump on board for this enchanting journey through a selection of classic scenes from a time when movies were movies – all accompanied live by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra!

A large screen above the orchestra will beam out unforgettable scenes from multi-Oscar-winning movies Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Ben-Hur and An American in Paris.

While idols of the silver screen like Judy Garland, Clark Gable and Orson Welles whisk you from Kansas, down the yellow brick road to Paris and on to Sherwood Forest, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra performs the Oscar-winning scores from the likes of Hermann, Gershwin, Korngold and more.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your seats, the journey is about to commence!”

This celebration of music-making from all over the country highlights the very best of Irish choral talent from both adult and youth choirs. An evening to warm hearts and toes with music to usher in the magic of Christmas.

A celebration of two iconic collaborations that spanned over 40 years from early Broadway musicals through to the ‘golden age’ classics of the 1940s and 1950s. Featuring show-stopping hits from Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The Sound of Music and more.

John Wilson’s performance at the Royal Albert Hall’s BBC Proms 2012 received the following five-star review: “For this we must thank John Wilson, disseminator of joy…..whose love for this music means that he understands precisely the blend of relaxation and stringency that it requires….For two hours, watching this show, life was a wonderful thing” – Laura Thompson, The Telegraph

This phenomenally successful collaboration between RTÉ Radio 1’s Mooney radio show, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the RTÉ radio audience returns to the National Concert Hall for a special Christmas treat. The recipe is simple, Mooney Tunes is a wonderful evening of music selected from the letters sent in by Mooney Show listeners.

“In the run up to every Mooney Tunes concert, we sieve through thousands of letters and emails from all over Ireland and beyond. Contained in these correspondences are inspiring stories, heart-breaking stories and stories that make you stop and think about the things for which we should be thankful and treasure” – Derek Mooney

Sunday Miscellany Live at Christmas in association with RTÉ Radio 1Thursday 20 December 2012National Concert HallRobert Houlihan conductor

Following the hugely successful collaborations between RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Miscellany and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra last year, they once again join forces to present a selection of musical treasures and a feast of new writing, created especially for the occasion. Featuring an extraordinary array of Irish literary and musical talent, with guest contributors including Declan O’Rourke, Paul Howard and Eavan Boland.

“Sunday Miscellany is like a rummage through the most interesting parts of the Irish artistic and socio-cultural mind” – Irish Independent

The RTÉ Concert Orchestra welcomes you to usher in the New Year in the company of the legendary MichelLegrand with Claire Martin for the annual New Year’s Eve Gala Concert.

Triple Oscar winner and five-time Grammy award-winning French composer Michel Legrand is a true great in the world of film music. He joins the RTÉ CO as conductor, pianist and singer for an evening of such classics as The Windmills of Your Mind, the theme to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and more. Joining him is charismatic and multi-award winning jazz singer Claire Martin.

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